Yato
is one of the three main protagonists of Noragami. An obscure god who considers himself a God of Fortune / Happiness and War, he has been labeled a God of Calamity and Depression in the past. Yato's dream is to become a famous god, whom everyone worships. Appearance Yato appears to be a young man in his late teens to early twenties with a height of 174cm (5’8”). He has messy, dark violet hair and light blue eyes with small, round pupils that become narrow when he is serious or angry, resembling that of a cat's. Yato is often seen wearing a navy tracksuit that has a small golden crown on the right side, and a pair of brown leather boots. A recognizable feature of his is a faded blue scarf (nicknamed 'fluffy fluff scarf' by Yato himself) with tears along with it around his neck. Although the exact fabric is unknown, some fans believe that Yato's scarf is actually a towel that he stole from a bathhouse. In flashbacks of his time as Yaboku, he is seen with a mini ponytail wearing a blue, man's kimono. Personality Yato can be mischievous, crude, and unpredictable in his behavior. He often has low tolerance on something he wants, usually causing those around him to become upset. Furthermore, he is rather childish and gullible at times. Yato will often indulge in fantasies of being a very successful God with more followers than any other deity; shrines full of luxury and shrine maiden at his fingertips. As his existence would end if he were to be forgotten, he has developed Athazagoraphobia. Yato is very materialistic when it comes to money, claiming to Hiyori that he will definitely complete her job request since he intends to keep her money. Alongside this, he carries an enormous bottle full of 5yen coins- the traditional offering for shrines. He tends to spend his money on drinking, gambling, and good luck trinkets, to the point where he has even stolen money from his Shinkis. When Yato opted to use his money to make Hiyori happy at Capypaland, Yukine became so excited that his master would use his money to make someone else happy that he shed tears, causing her to pity him. Despite his aloof and often idiotic personality, Yato can be quite wise and very serious when the situation requires it. Believing his father's words, Yato thinks gods can do whatever they want, but he currently believes it is because their decision - mostly helped by others - would be the right one. He has a very low tolerance for weak-spirited people, having little motivation to help those wanting to commit suicide. This is mostly due-in-part because Shinki hasn't had the chance to experience a full life; oftentimes dying in unfortunate accidents or at the hands of another. Yato is also rather mysterious; Examples being, when he meets with Nora (Mostly the reason being why he keeps her at his side) or gives incomplete answers/ acts in a questioning manner, including telling Yukine that he killed an entire clan of Shinki due to his own desires rather than to help another god at Kazuma's request. He refused to tell his true name and past even to his closest friends, fearing they would hate him; especially given he's a god easily forgotten humans. That and abandonment issues caused by his dubbing, "God of Calamity." This caused some strain on his relationship with Yukine since he feels inferior to Nora, though Yato alleviates these fears when he releases her, begging Yukine to be his guidepost and light the way for him. In the past, Yato's nature was extremely ruthless and cruel, thinking that killing was a game to satisfy his father and enjoy with his sister. However, his personality seems to have altered to a more optimistic standard through Sakura's influence on showing him the beauty of humanity and the world. He became more reluctant to murder, regretting being involved in killing jobs tasked by his father and wants to cut himself off from killing people in the present. Though, he seems less reluctant when dealing with murderous and "sinful" people, deeming it a necessary evil. Still, Yato can be a cruel and merciless person, showing great loyalty towards those he loves and cares for. He was angered when Hiyori was kidnapped, to the point where he challenged Bishamon, believing she was the one responsible. He was also devastated when Yukine sacrificed himself to save him during said fight. His father revealed that Yato is a "God of Depravity," meaning that Yato's only purpose is to bring upon great suffering to those around him, not to bring them happiness. This is strongly implied by Kofuku, who learned about her future friend from rumors that he once killed several Shinki, though according to Daikoku, this happened a long time ago when the rule was "kill or be killed". Yato's greatest wish is to simply be beside Yukine and Hiyori but understands that his Father will do whatever he can to prevent that. This shows that his true desire may not simply be in being remembered, but also to be with the ones he loves and to make them happy. According to other gods such as Tenjin, he is too forgiving, enduring to be blighted for his beloved ones if that means they will be fine. Yato cried after the death of Ebisu, who acknowledged him as a God capable of making others happy. He inspired Yato on becoming a God of Fortune. Yato later apologized sincerely to the reincarnated Ebisu despite him saying he did nothing wrong. According to Hiyori, his father's lifeline and goals are like a chain around his neck, hurting him to the point that he wanted to change for other people's sakes. Hiyori's faith of his being a God of Happiness and Yukine's promise to keep him from killing another human is what currently keeps Yato motivated in being a better god. This also makes it so Yato keeps a calm appearance when dealing with great stress. It is also said the amount of abuse he went through as a child at the hands of others and his father lead to how his defensive mechanisms play out in the present. Skills & Abilities *'Limited Immortality': Aside from supernatural means, Yato cannot be killed or even lethally injured by average means that would normally kill a regular human such as poison, explosions, drowning, being bludgeoned to death, shot to death, and so forth. *'Master Swordsman:' Since he is a God of War, Yato is very skilled in the art of combat, such as swordsmanship and spearmanship.This is clearly proven when he won a fight against Takemikazuchi, who is known for his amazing skills in combat. According to Rabō, he used to be even much stronger in the past. **'Severance (Zetsu):' Using his Shinki, Yato has the ability to sever the ties of people, be it with other humans, gods, or specific memories in general. It has been implied that he specializes in this ability. **'Rend (Zan):' Using his Shinki, Yato is able to use this ability to exorcise and destroy Ayakashis. This ability is first seen when Yato uses Tomone to destroy the Ayakashi outside Mutsumi's school. *'Teleportation:' Yato is able to teleport to any location he has an active connection to. If he is currently on the phone with someone, he is able to teleport to the caller's location. This ability is used by Yato in order to get from job to job more quickly. Once he has his own shrine, his shrine's connection to Heaven allows him to teleport there freely. *'Divine Possession:' Yato is capable of controlling a human body by temporarily substituting/taking over the soul. As possession is performed one could catch sight of two visual notable changes: the possessed person will have little golden crown sitting on his/her head and Yato's eyes. 'Known Shinki' *Unnamed male Shinki (status unclear), seen in a flashback in God of Calamity. *Unnamed Shinki (status unclear), mentioned in chapter 63.5. Trivia *It is revealed that Yato's real name is actually Yaboku contains the kanji ya (夜 night) and boku (卜 divination). Sakura mistakenly read 卜 as the katakana ト to because of the similarities, thus giving the well-known alias name Yato. *After saving Bishamon, Yato had became known as Amagiri no Mikoto (天切の尊, lit. He who rends Heaven) in Heaven. *His exact age is unknown, however historical references in flashback chapters date the earliest ones to the Heian era, which would make Yato at least 1000 years old. It can be assumed based on interpreting panels from chapter 46 that he was “born” around the 960s which would make him roughly 1,050 give or take a few decades. In a joke comic featuring the story of how he met Mayu, he states that he is around Tenjin’s age. *Yato's expressions and portrayal often mimic that of a cat. *Yato has rather sweaty hands, as both Tomone/Mayu and Yukine have complained about how sweaty his hands are. He is shown to be rather sensitive about this topic. *Yato is shown to be a skilled tailor in both Shuuishuu and the main continuity. In Shuuishuu he gives Yukine a hand-made sweater and gives Hiyori a hand-made wedding dress. In the main series, he works a loom to make formal attire for both himself and Yukine for Kamuhakari. **Furthermore, he has shown talent as an artist. This seems to be true in the manga, considering he did sell doujinshi in the past and was shown drawing a fairly accurate picture of Hiyori in chapter 53, albeit with wings and naked. *He is shown cross-dressing in chapters 48 and 52. *His English theme song is "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds. *His character song is Tsukiyo no Fune. Category:Characters Category:Male Category:God Category:Alive